Show case



, 11923. Hmmm H.. G. MICHAELSON @ein 23 SHOWCASE Filed March 28 1922 Wim mii

Patented (Diet. 23, 19233.

narran star;

s erster estetica.,

HENRY G'. IICHAELSGN, OF ROCKFORD, ILLNOS, ASSG-NOR TO THE ROCKFORD SHOW- CASE @c FIXTURE COMPANY, OF ROCKFORD, LLINOIS, A COEARTNEESHIP CONSIST- NG OF OLE Gr. NELSON AND HENRY G. MICHAELSON.

snow CASE.

Application filed March 28, 1922. Serial No. 547,399.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Gr. MICHAEL- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Show Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to store furniture, and has more particular reference to show cases of the type especially adapted for displaying trays of merchandise, such for example as fountain pens, pencils, etc.

Heretofore, in show cases of this type, the

general practice has been to carry the merchandise such as fountain pens, metal refill pencils, etc., in display trays, in a common compartment of the showcase, the top, sides and front of which are glass, and access to which is had through a door at the back. As a. result of this practice, the metal casings of the pencils have become tarnished more quickly than by ordinary exposure by reason of the chemical attraction set up by the rubber bodies of the fountain pens;

This objection l have overcome by the present invention, which provides within a showcase a substantially air-tight compartment for the metal pencils so arranged may be displayed to equal advantage and both be equally accessible through the doorway at the back of the showcase, but with y the pen and pencil compartments separated and insulated against any such chemical action as might injure the finish of the metal pencils.

I have also aimed to providea novel and particularly attractive showcase for the display of trays or of any mechandise, of the general character described.

V Another object is to provide a double tray compartment showcase possessing thefeatures mentioned and constructed in such simple manner as to be capable of economical production. i

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those familiar with this art as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a yhorizontal,plan section that both the pencils and fountain pens' through a showcase taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in vertical section, of the show case; and t Fig. 3 is anenlarged vertical section showing the construction of the pencil tray compartment.

y In the type of showcases to which my invention pertains, it is desired to display the merchandise in trays supported either in a horizontally or a slightly inclined position so that it may be viewed from above through a glass casing which forms the top, sides and front of the showcase. rlhe trays may be supported in one or more tiers in the showcase, but I prefer to support them in a single tier, that is, in a substantially common plane, and to so partition and inclose a portion of the display supporting surface as to provide a substantially airtight compartment in which trays Ymay be displayed to equal advantage. The purpose of this special compartment is to isolate its contents from the remaining compartment to prevent chemical attraction between the contents of both compartments, but without impairing the display advantages of the contents in either compartment, nor the facility of access to said compartments.

In the present instance, I have illustrated my improvements in connection with a convention'al showcase comprising a suitable base 5 supporting a glass casing consisting of side walls 6, a front wall 7, top 8 and a vertically slidable door or closure 9, nor- Y mally closing the back of the main compartvention, two groups of merchandise display trays designated generally by 12 and 13 are adapted to be supported in a substantially common plane as on an inclined surface 14. The group of trays 12 are for displaying goods of common characteristics and the trays 13 for goods whose composition or substance makes it desirable to isolate them from the goods in the trays 12, but without impairing the display advantages of the goods in both groups of trays and without interfering with convenience of access to the trays in said groups. With this desideratum in mind, I have provided a special compartment for the trays 13 by means of a glass or other transparent partition having a hori- Zontally disposed or inclined top portion 15 reaching from side to side of the main glass casing and terminating'at its'forward end in a"downwardlycurved portion 16, which seatsiat its lower end in connection with the support 14. The sides 17 and the forward lower end 18 of said glass partition maybe fitted to or joined with their respective contiguous parts in any suitable manner to provide a substantially airtight separation'of the compartments 11 and 19. The rear edge of the glass partition is equipped with suitable means for effecting a seal with the door 9, and in the present instance l employ a felt strip 21 united to the glass partition by a coupling strip 22. The

felt strip 21 serves to effectually seal the space between the rear edge of the glass pai'- tition 'and the door 9, and atV the same time does not interfere with freeniovement of the door. Y l Y From vthe foregoing, it will be noted that the glass partition, separating the compartments 11 and 19, is in thecforin of a single plate, the forward end of which is curved downwardly to define the forward end of the compartment 19, [is a resultof this construction, there is no undesirable or no- .ticeable refraction in the view from above of articles displayed in the trays 13. Fun' therinore, the' curved forward end of said partition allows `the trays in the group12,

and especially the rearmost trays thereof, A

to be easily and conveniently positioned on the support 14 and removed therefrom.- ln other words,the glass partition is not an obstruction and it allows plenty of room at the rear of the rearmost trays l2 to grasp said trays when arranging or handling them.r It

will be manifest that the compartment 19 is substantially insulated against communicaL tion of air with the compartmentll, except of course, when the door 9 is open, and in this event, the period is v`generally short and both compartments are open to .the outer at' vinosphere'and there is nothing to induce circulation of air between the compartments. It follows, therefore, that such slight communication has a negligible effect Yso far as the object .of the present invention is concerned.. As a result of the foregoing construction, the metal pencils or other articles to be protected are lhoused in the compart-V ment 19v against exposure from air in vthe compartment 11. In this way I have prevented any such chemical action, however slight, as might'bel set up by reason ofv affinities between the properties of the goods in the different groups of trays. l

It is believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of the objects prefaced above, and while l have illustrated but pressed in the appended claims;

a single working embodiment, it should be understood that considerable change might `,be madein arrangement,ofl parts and details T i claim 1. In a showcase, the Ycombination of a transparent casing, a door providing access thereto, means for supportingV a tier of display trays in said casing, a transparent partition' within said Vcasing separating said tier of trays to prevent communication of air from one to another, said partition reaching into proximity to said door, and means for sealing the opening between ythe partition and door.

2. In a showcase, the combination ofa display casing having a door at its rear, a merchandise-carrying support in the casing reaching substantially from front vto rear and side to side thereof, and a partition having ,a transparent .top reaching from a medial point on the support `to the door and shaped to provide a relatively low compartment adapted to receive merchandise from the rear through the doorway and to isolate such merchandise from the remainder Vof the casing, said casing adapted to .receive merchandise passed through said doorway over said partition for placement in .a display posi-tion on said support in front of said partition.- c Y 3.a In a showcase, the 1combination of display casingr having glass side walls, front wall and atop wall and a vertically slidable door `for closing the'back of the display compartment defined by said walls, a merchandise-carrying support inthe casing reaching substantially from front. to back and side to side thereof, and a partition having a transparent top rea-ching from a.

inedialpoint on said support to the door, providing a display compartment adapted to receive merchandise from the rear through the doorway and being sealed from the principaldisplay compartment and having a substantially air-,tight connection with the door, whereby to isolate such merchandise from the remainder of the casing, said casing adapted to receive merchandise passed through Athe doorwayA over said partition for placement in a display Vposition on said support in front of said partition.L

L1.11m a showcase, the combination of a display casing having a door atits rear, a inerchandise-carrying support in thel casing reaching substantially from' front to rear and' side to side thereof, and a` partition havinga transparent top reaching from a medial .point on the-support lto the door V,and from side to sideof the casing, providinga compartment adapted to receive nierchandise from the rear'through the doorway and being isolated from the remainder las of the easing7 said casing adapted to receive merchandise passed through the doorway over said partition for placement in a display position on said support in front of said partition.

5. In a showcase, the combination of a display casing having a door at its rear, merchandise-carrying means in the front portion of the casing, a compartment in the casing at the rear of said merchandise-car rying means having a transparent top reaching rearwardly in proximity to the door and equipped along its rear edge with means for effecting substantially an air-sea1 between said compartment and the remainder of the casing when the door is closed.

6. In a showcase, the combination of a casing having a front and a rear merchandise-displaying compartment, a door at the rear of the casing common to both compartments, and the rear` compartment being substantially air-sealed from the remainder of the casing compartment when the door is closed and being so arranged that merchandise may be passed through said doorway over the rear compartment for placement in the front compartment.

HENRY G. MICHAELSON 

